Cowboy Jeffie's Paniolo Papaya Salsa

(Yep, that's me - Cowboy Jeffie - in the photo)

Vacations are not necessarily conducive to blogging, but they are a necessity for sanity in one's life. Two weeks in Hawaii is a heavenly way to celebrate - or avoid - the holiday season. We stayed in an incredible home on the Kona Coast side of the Big Island, with five acres of avocados and fruit/citrus trees. Lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines, guava, figs, starfruit and more were on the property. What we couldn't find outside the house was available at the Kona Farmers' Market. Cowboy Jeffie went Hawaiian as 2008 came to an end. By the way a paniolo is an island cowboy.

Prepare all the ingredients as noted and simply dump into a mixing bowl. Do take care in handling the habanero. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after having any contact with the pepper. Stir well before pouring into a serving dish and garnishing with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. It's best if your salsa sits in the fridge for a few hours before serving - and it's even better the next day. We used the salsa as a compliment to grilled fresh marlin - and with corn chips the following days.

1 comment:

I discovered this recipe while looking for uses for a rather large papaya we aquired. However, we're not a fan of the ultra-spicy habanero pepper you suggest here. Do you think that a different, less-hot pepper could be substituted without ruining the taste of this salsa? Which pepper could be suggested? Thanks for sharing this recipe, it looks like it'll be delicious!

Engineer of Creative Identity

Jeff Fisher, author of "Identity Crisis!" (HOW Books, 2007), is the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. He has been honored with over 600 regional, national and international design awards and is featured in over 140 books about logos, the design business, and small business marketing. His first book, "The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success" was released in 2004 and has been reissued as a PDF on CD from MyDesignShop.com. Other books are currently in the works. Fisher serves on the HOW Magazine Board of Advisors, HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and Art Institute of Portland Professional Advisory Council,. The designer also writes for HOW Magazine, other industry publications, and many webzines and blogs. In addition, Fisher is a nationally-recognized speaker, making numerous presentations each year to design organizations, design schools, universities and business groups. Graphic Design USA magazine named Jeff Fisher one of the design industry “People to Watch” in 2009. Fisher lives in Portland with his partner of 20+ years, Ed Cunningham.